Greater love hath no cat than this...

I've mentioned before that Mac sings to us in the morning. When he first moved here he would warble happily for a minute or so, then go about his business. It was easy to smile and go back to sleep. Over time, as he has started adopting me -- sitting on my desk while I work, curling up on my lap for scritches -- his warblings changed in tone to more of the kind of song that cats sing when they bring you a treasure. He brings catnip mousies.

About a year or so ago I started putting him on a harness and letting him walk around in the back yard for about fifteen minutes at a time, maybe once a week or so. Mac of course would like to do this much more often for much longer periods, but he takes what he can get since he has no other choice. What I hadn't realized is that for the last few months he's started singing whenever I go out the back door. With accompanying mousie.

I ride my bike every afternoon for about fifteen to twenty minutes, so I'm not gone for long, but he can see me leave and come back. He waits for me at the door. Lately I've taken to heading out to the clubhouse to write, since the tables out there are at a better height for typing on my laptop. Mac sees me head out the door, and can see me go in the clubhouse. Apparently that's also his cue to start a full-on opera. It was so bad yesterday that Chaz gave up trying to work (his study is right next to the back door) and went off to do errands.

I'm very touched.